Jeff Johnson

Hi Jeff, I came here quite by chance. But I've dec...

2010-03-10T08:15:36.200-05:00

Hi Jeff,
I came here quite by chance. But I've decided I'll definitely be back.

Thank you for the very practical insights.

The parable that Jesus told about the two foundati...

2010-01-08T19:25:23.859-05:00

The parable that Jesus told about the two foundations comes to mind. We don't often see "great success" or "power" as a Storm, but it reveals our foundation just the same as intense struggle or hardship.

I think, and I don't presume to know either Warren...

2010-01-07T14:14:15.203-05:00

I think, and I don't presume to know either Warren or Woods, but I'm guessing the key difference between them is this: a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Warren has been set free from his captivity. I pray Tiger realizes his need to be freed.

Stumbled upon your blog and plan to stop by again....

2009-12-31T21:54:19.429-05:00

Stumbled upon your blog and plan to stop by again. Thank you for your work!

My conference budget was cut in 2009. Can't wait t...

2009-12-31T01:05:54.001-05:00

My conference budget was cut in 2009. Can't wait to attend some in 2010.

--Terrace Crawford
www.terracecrawford.com
www.twitter.com/terracecrawford

Hi, it's a very great blog. I could tell how much ...

2009-12-11T10:50:17.379-05:00

Hi, it's a very great blog.
I could tell how much efforts you've taken on it.
keep doing!

Not really in to random advertisers making comment...

2009-11-22T23:40:40.602-05:00

Not really in to random advertisers making comments on the ole blog. Hoping I don't have to go to completely moderated comments, but perhaps I will. (this is in reference to the comment I deleted from Sportsguy).

Thank you! one verse with loaded meaning. i've re...

2009-11-20T22:46:27.534-05:00

Thank you! one verse with loaded meaning. i've read that over and over too and you've just lit a light bulb... :)

I am interested in the phrase that you think it "m...

2009-10-08T18:03:12.879-04:00

I am interested in the phrase that you think it "makes sense" that we choose God's wrath rather than that He chooses us for wrath. Why is that?

Also, yes I believe you can rest assured that Satan will not be in heaven, though it has more to do with the fact that as far as we know angels were never redeemed... God never became an angel so that He might atone for their sin. That is an entirely different line of thought though :). (Mostly because angels were also not created in God's image as far as it has been revealed to us, so they differ in that way from us)

Ok...I llke it. So the option is between God and ...

2009-10-08T11:09:54.321-04:00

Ok...I llke it. So the option is between God and self. I guess I should remember that from when C.S. Lewis talks about that in Mere Christianity. But I still am struggling to see that God needs to choose who is goign to suffer His wrath. I still think it makes sense that we choose that for ourselves. Thanks for the explanation though...now I know there is NO chance I will see Satan in heaven...good ;)

The whole issue of "choice" is something I covered...

2009-10-08T09:41:01.929-04:00

The whole issue of "choice" is something I covered in an earlier post. The difficulty is explaining a world in which fallen man can "choose" anything (being dead in sin), especially anything good, like God. Check out the post though, as I put my thoughts there. (think it is in August).

As to the need for an anti-God, I think that possibility arises any time you have a creature that does has the capacity to choose. In the garden Eve was not so much tempted to follow the snake's will as she was to follow her own will. In Ezekiel we see that Lucifer had a similar situation.

The very existence of choice means that I now have an option between what God wants and "not what God wants". The best way that I understand that is to say that when I choose "not God" I am, in fact, choosing what I want.

The first, and ultimate sin, then becomes pride... serving myself over God. And, I don't think God needed to "do" anything to create this sin outside of give us the option. And, since both his servants (angels) and his children (humanity) have the ability to choose (in their perfect/awakened form anyway), then we have to conclude that Choice is crucial to our relationship with God.

Very interesting post Jeff. I've talked about thi...

2009-10-08T09:22:57.139-04:00

Very interesting post Jeff. I've talked about this/a similar topic in small group in the past. What comes to my mind to counter what you are saying about those 'chosen' for God's wrath is...free will. I don’t think the only way for Him to show us His love is by showing us His wrath as well…as the alternate. God shows us His sovereignty and love through free will. And we show Him love in return and understanding of His love for us through our choice. At the beginning of time God knew, as a people, we would defy Him. Enter Jesus. He also knew certain people would choose to follow Him. We choose this for ourselves - God does not choose this for us. He designed, flawlessly, the way our world works, but he also set it in motion to allow us freedom…so that we are not slaves to His love and creation or slave to His wrath and design. However, what I have not found any answer to whatsoever is similar to your question…yet different. With free will comes choice, with choice come two alternatives. God needed an anti-God in order to give us free will…Enter Satan. Without Satan there is no free will….there is nothing to choose apart from God. Eve was the first human to sin and choose Satan’s way over God’s way, but how did Satan have anything to choose apart from God if only God (= good) existed at the time?...so was Satan called to be the anti-God. Was he called to be the alternate choice for us? If so, is he fulfilling his call from God? Where I stumble is…if the answer is yes, then all those who chose to spend a life apart from God – as their choice and do not fulfill God’s plan for their life will spend eternity in hell…yet Satan – chose to spend a life apart from God, yet he IS (assuming the above is correct) fulfilling God’s plan for his life…so will he be redeemed?

Yes, I agree with that.....chemotherapy implies a ...

2009-10-07T21:12:05.775-04:00

Yes, I agree with that.....chemotherapy implies a randomness that does not line up with God's character. The path that God determines is much more deliberate and intentioned than that of chemo therapy.....but there are often still unwanted side effects to His wrath, at least unwanted by the recipient, but certainly not unintended by God.

I like it, though I would call God's wrath more of...

2009-10-07T20:53:48.148-04:00

I like it, though I would call God's wrath more of a precise surgery... killing the cancer without all the unwanted side effects of chemo :). That may be where I differ from some other Sovereigntyists (yea I just made up that word).

Tomorrow is writing day, I was working on my follow up to this series and... well I wrote way too much. I will try to condense as I can!

Very interesting Jeff. I really like this series ...

2009-10-07T19:59:45.514-04:00

Very interesting Jeff. I really like this series you've been writing about.....it has sent me to several different places in Scripture to seek answers, which is always a good thing.

Your blog today brought to mind an anaolgy that works in my mind at least up until a point. Sin = cancer and God's wrath = chemotherapy. Cells of the body are certainly affected as the chemotherapy attacks the cancer. But that chemotherapy is necessary for ultimate healing.....

Leslie and I were discussing Romans 4 last night a...

2009-10-05T16:57:41.108-04:00

Leslie and I were discussing Romans 4 last night and I came across an observation there that I believe sheds light into chapter 9. I am not quite ready to put it down on paper yet :), but it helps answer some questions for me in any case.

This whole idea of Sovereignty is rooted in Paul's response in Romans 9, the fact that we really do not have the right to questions God's decisions. IF in fact God decided to create some objects simply for wrath He could... and He would still be good.

The question I am still dealing with is, "Does the idea of God creating something purely for the sake of wrath fit with the picture of God's character I see revealed in the rest of the Bible?" I don't thing it does, so I believe He will either reveal a truth that combines the two, or it will be a mystery I just don't understand until heaven :).

I've been reading in Romans the last few days as w...

2009-10-05T16:41:12.846-04:00

I've been reading in Romans the last few days as well (part of NP reading the New Testament together as a church this fall.) Your last couple blogs have obviously been on topic, and have helped me look at the subject matter from a different perspective than the first time I read through it. However, I've just read Romans 9, and am having a bit of difficulty with Verses 19-24. Verse 19 is a well timed question that was on my mind as I read through Romans 9. But Paul's answer to that question in 20-24 seems to me a bit like answering the question by commanding me to not ask the question in the first place.....a bit of an unsatisfying response. Thoughts?

Here are some of the highlights for me: It's Just ...

2009-07-30T07:55:50.139-04:00

Here are some of the highlights for me:
It's Just Not Sexy Enough
Forget Evangelism Training
The Avoiding the Conflict Cycle series
Do You Have a Culture of Service?

The guys in the connect group I'm in try to send out a daily devotional every weekday. I have Tuesdays. I've shared (and given credit for) a few of these posts to that group and they got great feedback.

Oh, and thanks for updating your About Me info. After hearing about the Kindle, my wife and I joked (well, not entirely jokingly) that someday we'll be like, "We knew Jeff Johnson back when..."

The key is church leaders I believe. It is true t...

2009-07-16T22:05:15.522-04:00

The key is church leaders I believe. It is true that we have an entire culture that is counter to the idea of doing the hard and messy. But, something we can learn from many of the recent cultural movements in America is that it only takes a small, committed group of people to bring about change... over time. Most people don't talk about Generational Change. That is where we are in America, this thing won't be fixed in 2-5 years. It is more like 20-40 at this point. I am fully aware that I may not see the end of my vision until I am 60 or older... and even then I will be 60 years younger than Moses was :).

These have been great posts, Jeff. I agree with yo...

2009-07-16T07:56:26.040-04:00

These have been great posts, Jeff. I agree with your premise (so I guess that means you're right). However, you do realize you are completely going against our culture, right? I don't just mean church culture, but culture as a whole. Your post title today sums it up: trade in that old car for a 2010 model even if nothing's really wrong with it, sell the house you're in to move up to more space than you actually need, get out of that marriage that isn't working out and start "fresh", ditch the past and embrace the future today and all your troubles will go away. Starting new churches really is sexy, and, unfortunately, fixing old ones is gruelling and painful. So, while I agree with you, how do we succeed when our entire American mindset goes completely contrary to what you're trying to say?

True enough man. I have seen the insides of two c...

2009-07-15T17:02:18.885-04:00

True enough man. I have seen the insides of two church plants, and the sexy goes away real fast when reality is smacking you in the face. I don't think I have met many church planters that have said, "Man I wish I had not taken so much time preparing, praying, and planning for my launch". On the contrary I have definitely met those who have said, "I wish I had known more about what I was getting into and prepared for it!"

i think you're right that church planting can seem...

2009-07-15T16:56:59.265-04:00

i think you're right that church planting can seem "sexy..." until you do it.
1. It's hard, hard work.
2. The percentages of those that "blow up" vs. one's that fizzle out are not in the sexy category.

on the church health side, you're spot on! and, just because a church is new, doesn't mean it's healthy. just because a church is growing doesn't mean it's healthy.

let's be about starting and growing churches that are healthy. I loved your thought this morning that church health is actually missional activity. keep preaching it...errr, blogging it!

praying for YOU! i'm MORE than confident that God ...

2009-07-02T23:02:01.226-04:00

praying for YOU! i'm MORE than confident that God can and WILL use you in a mighty, mighty way!

Well, you don't HAVE to travel in mid-June if you ...

2009-06-04T09:14:07.869-04:00

Well, you don't HAVE to travel in mid-June if you don't WANT to... :)

I think you should rename this post to "Big Announ...

2009-04-13T14:49:07.108-04:00

I think you should rename this post to "Big Announcement, Big Break" :)